Garfield Park is dilapidated and ruinous. Most playground equipment is broken or damaged, and it is overdue for an overhaul. Kids may still have fun, but this is a subpar destination due to its lack of maintenance and all the noise from the expressway looming over it and directly adjacent. The adaptive swing has cracked plastic and doesn't lock, a merry-go-round thing barely moves, the slides are incredibly slow, etc. Tip: Eastern Market Metro Park near 8th and Penn SE is a better bet if you care about playgrounds. This place is OK for a picnic under the mature trees, if you don't mind the din of highway traffic. It also has an embankment on the western edge that is suitable for wintertime sledding. On the plus side, when my four-year-old and I were there this month, she spotted a rat trapped in the bottom of the metal trash can by the playground. So, although we would never feed pests, we showed mercy on the distressed beast. We got a good amount of memorable and free enjoyment by rescuing it from dehydration and heat exhaustion using an empty chip bag to lift it to freedom, then watching it scurry into concrete blocks under the highway. Ah, the simple joys, haha read more

Cool park and place to have fun. Garfield Park is located pretty close to Capitol Hill. It has some interesting things different from many other parks. Be sure to check out the playgrounds even if you don't have any kids. They have one for adults too. Getting here from Capitol Hill doesn't take long. It still seems like it's quite a ways away though. This also is close to the Navy Yard. One bad thing is that it can be noisy because of the traffic on the freeway. There's a concrete wall separating the park from Interstate 395, which is where the noise comes from especially when it's rush hour, so if you want a quiet and relaxing visit avoid coming here at those times. Other than that it's one of the best parks around. The playground is cool for kids. If you're an adult you also have your own place to play next to it. They have adult sized playground equipment so you don't have to worry about being too heavy to play on these. It overall is one of the best parks in DC. Other than the freeway noise there's a lot of other things to like about it. This is a nice way of getting from Capitol Hill to the Navy Yard. read more

Garfield Park - Park - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Garfield is a great park, but it has some drawbacks. Located only about 3 blocks from the US Capitol, it's right next to Whole Foods Market. This location is great because there's always fresh food nearby. The park has everything except a water park/spray park area. It has swings, a kiddie area that's fenced in, climbing stuff, old school jungle gym, softball fields, skate park and basketball that's underneath the interstate so it's dry during rain, tennis courts, bocce courts, and beach volleyball. In the snow this is a great place for sledding. It's pretty incredible. I mean the jungle gym alone is worth the trip! The graffiti under the bridge is pretty cool. It's an awesome spot for photos. There are also enormous concrete blocks piled up and covered with graffiti, which looks pretty cool. And the grassy areas are really nice! They are somehow secluded by trees, but have no real barriers to the rest of the park. It's a nice feeling to be out there. And it's a wonderful spot to take in sunset and watch fireflies. But there are negatives. The bridge area draws a seedy crowd that makes me feel unsafe. You can smell the drugs and see nefarious activity from the bridge crowd. The park is ALWAYS full of trash, especially in the toddler play area where disgusting nannies make no effort to clean up. Kids from the school across the street have recess here and drop more trash. There are homeless people wandering through the park. I've seen sketchy guys drive motorcycles down the center of the park. It can get weird, or scary. I'm actually scared to walk near the roving bands of kids and too-old-to-hangout-with-kids-individuals who often hang out under the bridge in the afternoons. read more

Did I fail to mention I'm a kid at heart? Oh, yeah, big time - I had a magical childhood. Does your child want to play with Lincoln Logs & Tinker Toys, and you aren't in the mood? Call me. Barbie? I got you. Lego? Definitely down for that. Oh, and you aren't up for the playground today? Well, I am. All. the. damn. time. I just want to climb to the top of something, hang upside down on the bars, swing, and slide. I just feel kind of weird being the only kidless adult running around a playground. Playgrounds in this area are kind of lame. You should see what I grew up with - this is like comparing Disney World to Hershey Park. Hell, I've had more fun reading a book upside down off my bed then in some of these playgrounds. But you know why this one rocks? Adult size playground equipment. Yeah, that's right, so I can comfortably slide, run, and climb. And tennis courts, in case I actually want to be an adult. But, really, I'd rather run around and climb things and swing on swings and hang upside down. And Garfield Park is just the place to do it. read more

I am a walking feast for the mosquitoes here. And how come I never grew up with monstrously magnificent playground equipment like they have here? Boo to that. By the way... whoever that cutie is walking their dog here, feel free to give me a call. (Just don't tell the boy I said that.) read more

Garfield is one of the best parks on Capitol Hill. It connects the growing neighborhood of Navy Yard with established Capitol Hill. It's a pretty big park with cherry blossom trees, a pretty cool playground, and a graffiti skate park below the underpass. It's safe, quiet, and a peaceful oasis for families. They also have bocce ball courses to enjoy! read more

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Conveniently located next to 395 and to Capitol South Metro, Garfield park was a good spot to host an alumni picnic. I also like the oversized equipment on the playground. Plenty of sun, and plenty of shade too for those who need it. There's a table or two, but you'll have to bring your own if you're going to have a large group. Plenty of space to run around, and it's never that crowded. Just note if you have more than a certain number of ppl you will have to apply for a permit or they'll sic metro police on you or something. There's also a couple tennis courts. No bathroom anywhere nearby (you're in the middle of a residential neighborhood). However, the city will rent you a porta-potty if you are having an event there. Parking is easy on Sundays, but you'll have to pay/move every 2 hours/park a few blocks away the rest of the week unless you have a Zone 6 sticker. 3.5 stars read more

Garfield Park - From http://www.capitolriverfront.org/ - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This is a okay playground not the best if you want the coolest playground and in Washington DC

Only a few blocks away from Navy Yard(Green) and Capital South metro(Orange/Blue), Garfield Park is easily accessible by public transit and has a lot to offer. This park has large open areas, a jungle gym, bocce, tennis courts, and a sand volleyball court. Also, I am not sure if this is technically a part of Garfield, but there is a small skate park that runs under the bypass with a very cool urban feel. The main reason I come to this park is for the sand volleyball court. To my knowledge, there are two main places with sand volleyball in the city. One is the courts behind the Lincoln Memorial, which are not particularly easy to get to, and this one at Garfield. This court is well kept and constantly has friendly and competitive games of volleyball going on. If you try to drop in for a pick up game beware that social sports leagues do have the court reserved during certain periods. In general, this park always exudes a great atmosphere whether it is people walking their dogs, having a cook out, or parents bringing their kids to the play ground. One word of caution, there isn't a public restroom in the park so you either need to go down south to the restroom in Yards Park or be confident and walk straight into the "private" bathroom at the gym on the east side of the park. read more

Why only four stars you ask? Go ahead, ask. You'll want to know. THat's why you're reading this: the occasional smell of marijuana and the random gatherings of folks playing under 395. I know there's a place you can skate and play ball but under a major highway (while next to a giant, open, tree-filled park), um, no thank you. Good climbing trees. Plenty of team sports in the summer. Lots of folks walking to the nearby Results Gym. Remarkably quiet park considering it shared a giant concrete wall with 395. Plenty of stuff for the little ones to run around and climb over. The tennis courts are lit till 9:45 or 10pm, the nets stay up in the winter, and if you serve with 395 at your back, you get to look up at the Capitol Dome. How cool is that? After nearly 20 years in the city, I still don't get tired or less awestruck by seeing that site. A great place to spend an evening...just don't invite any friends of yours that play tennis...unless they're cute. There are only two courts and they're pretty busy in nice weather. read more

I love the rope pyramid climbing structure in this Capital Hill park. read more

Garfield Park - Parks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Great place to take your dogs to play fetch. You will usually run into other friendly dog and dog owners as well. There is a group that meets at 7:30 AM with their dogs if you're looking to meet new dog- owning neighbors. The dog water fountains haven't been working for a while so be sure to bring your own bowl. Note that the area isn't completely enclosed so if you can't keep your dog from running in the street, it might not be a good place to bring them! read more

Home of the adult-sized playground, which if you Google or ask people on Yelp about, you'll get ridiculous answers/comments/pictures. But this is the real deal, y'all. Get a couple drinks in you, bring some popsicles, and relive your childhood. Right behind the children's playground, there is a playground built for adult proportions. I am really partial to climbing the giant ropes structure. This is way too much fun. read more

The best free park that I've been to. Great ropes/climbing areas for the kids, monkey bars, swings, slides, you name it. Also can't beat that it has a dog area, tennis courts, volleyball courts, other sporting areas, a skatepark, and far enough away from the street to be at ease. read more

This neighborhood park features a new-ish children's playground with a smaller enclosed area for the little little ones, lighted tennis and basketball courts, 2 bocce courts, a volleyball court (bring your own net just in case), a couple of softball fields and lots of old trees to camp out under and read a book. There are several picnic tables arrayed around the park and a couple of grills (bring your own charcoal). A popular spot with local dog owners. Just around the corner from "Results The Gym". read more

Such an asset to the South Capitol/Navy Yard community. Dog/kid/skateboarder friendly but still a great place for a quite picnic. Also has great public tennis courts and a bocce league that plays here in the spring. One of my favorite places in all of Washington. read more

I love this park! The hipsters! It's amazing. Plus there are lots of great amenities and playground equipment for the kids. I wish I lived next to it. read more

I love this park. I think it's the best park for dogs on Cap Hill. I'd give it 5 stars if there was a small, fenced-in area (I have a little dog). But on the whole, it's a nice, wide park with plenty of room for dogs, kids, and other humans. There's a tennis court, bocce, playground, grills (I think). Benches. read more

Whenever we wish to play at playgrounds, this place always come to our minds. We had hosted two birthday parties there. Twice, we went to Capitol Hill's Easter event there. Great to play with our bodies through Bodily-Kinesthetic playground. Everyone with child's heart will love this place. read more